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Category: Wijngaards Institute

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Recommendation

“Www.womenpriests.org has become a unique resource for our movement and for all who promote the ordination of women. You have made classic texts accessible to all which could only be consulted in libraries. You rally international scholarship in support of our cause. You prove the cultural prejudice of past theology by irrefutable documentation. You are both academically reliable and pastorally sensitive. You reach out to many countries through English, Spanish and other major languages.”Genevieve Chavez , Women’s Ordination Conference USA – June 2002

My protest against theological prejudice

I am not a natural rebel, but when Cardinal Ratzinger stated in 1998 that those who think women can be ordained priests are no longer in communion with the Church, I resigned; not from the Church, but from my active priestly ministry. I did so in public protest as a loyal Catholic. I had to, in conscience. For I could not, and will not, share in a conspiracy of silence while Church leaders ‘excommunicate’ Catholics for holding a conviction that I as a theologian know to be perfectly compatible with our Catholic belief.

As I am getting older, I am becoming more conscious of my roots. I see my present conflict with Rome foreshadowed in my parents. Their being staunch Catholics did not dispose them to stomach nonsense, precisely because their faith meant so much to them. An incident will illustrate the point.

My father was headmaster of a mission school in Surabaia, Indonesia – we are talking of the 1930’s – and my mother sat on the board of the adjoining girls’ school. They also prepared people for Mass on Sunday in one of the class rooms. One day the parish priest came to visit them and announced: “I received a new chalice from Holland!” He produced it from his bag and put it triumphantly on the table. My mother lifted it up, to admire it more closely.

“My God! Mrs. Wijngaards, what are you doing!” the parish priest called out. “Doing what?” my mother asked. “This is a sacred vessel. No woman may touch it!”

“I sank through the ground”, my mother would tell me later a dozen times. “I felt hurt, humiliated, angry. Why should I be kept from touching a sacred object just because I’m a woman? Am I so dirty or profane?” She only put the chalice down after having scrutinised it carefully.

As a theologian, so many years later, I can give the answer to her “why?”. Women were, indeed, from at least the 5 th century considered second-rate, sinful and ritually unclean, yes unclean on account of menstruation. A Church ordinance in France forbidding women to touch sacred objects was deviously published under the name of Pope Soter and handed on as part of the so-called False Decretals. From there it entered the Decree of Gratian (1040 AD), a collection of laws that became the source for all later Church legislation. Church lawyers explained the reasons: “A woman is an animal that menstruates. Through touching her blood fruits fail to get ripe. Mustard degenerates, grass dries up and trees lose their fruit before time. Iron gets rusted and the air becomes dark. When dogs eat it, they acquire rabies. That is why women are kept away from the altar.”

Medieval theologians considered the prohibition to touch sacred objects a major argument to exclude women from the priesthood. Richard of Middleton thought so, and so did John Duns Scotus, Durandus a Saint-Pourçain and other key witnesses quoted by Rome to prove the presumed Tradition against women priests. The prohibition stayed in force until the new code of canon law promulgated in 1983. But Rome has not grasped that removing this and other prejudices has in fact shattered the ‘theological’ grounds on which the exclusion of women was based.

I am often asked why it is necessary to rake up the past. Can we not leave all the antiquated reasoning alone, and focus on the present? The answer is that the antiquated reasoning still casts its spell today. We suffer their effects in Church legislation, like in canon 1024 which lays down that “only a baptised male validly receives sacred ordination”. While lay men may be installed as readers and distributors of holy communion, women may only be given such tasks “by a temporary deputation” (canon 230). The skeletons in our ecclesiastical cupboard cannot be buried until they have been uncovered for what they are: dangerous skeletons. The official justification for banning women from the priesthood rests on the scaffolding of social prejudice and irrational practice.

The incident I related was just one of my mother’s many clashes with the official Church. She remained largely unaware of all the complex theological confusion that dominated Church thinking for so long and which I am trying to document fragment by fragment on www.womenpriests.org. However, she was right in her basic conviction that in Christ women and men are truly equal, with all the liberating consequences of that truth. I feel deeply united to her ‘Catholic sense’, her sensitivity to Christ’s Spirit, and I know that the invincible power of that Spirit will bring about the reforms that are needed. My mother died and I will die, but the truth will live.

“Womenpriests.org, we need you!”

We are members of the Catholic Church in Malaysia who have been and still are involved in church organizations, basic Christian communities, inter-religious organizations and various non-governmental organizations for women, justice, the poor and the marginalised. We strongly support the application for financial support to maintain www.womenpriests.org. We agree with the arguments for the ordination of women as published on this website, and fully support the ordination of women in the Catholic Church.

1. The Malaysian Situation

We are a religiously pluralistic society. Our culture has been moulded by the many religions, all of which come from male-dominated traditions that uphold the male as the only recognised authority in the family and society. This has resulted in a culture where: a) Boy babies are preferred to girl babies b) Boys are given preference in education c) Girls are brutally raped and murdered d) Women are abused in the family e) Women are forced into prostitution to provide for the needs of the family f) Women are expected to sacrifice for the family g) Women are rarely consulted or involved in decision-making h) Women participation is dismally low in government i) Organisations and facilities for women are sadly lacking.

Such a culture where one half of its members are less worthy, less privileged and less holy is unacceptable to us. We desperately need the change in mindset of both men and women to bring about a just society. Just as the Catholic Church is recognised for its leadership on issues of justice and solidarity with the poor, it is in a similar position of leadership and influence for the eradication of oppression of women. The Catholic Church would once again be able to assume such a position of leadership with the ordination of women to the priesthood. When women are admitted into the priesthood in the Catholic Church, its teaching that women and men are both equally made in the image of God would be credible. By this move, the Catholic Church would finally give due recognition to the dignity of women, and their role in society. In our society, this will go far in its impact on changing our culture, as a change in one religious community is likely to have an effect on the other communities.

2. The Malaysian Catholic Church

From our many years of interactions with bishops, priests, religious, lay leaders and laity, we realize that the Catholic Church is dissonantly silent, disinterested, and even evasive when it comes to women’s issues. While some of the other religious communities have begun to accept and recognise women in positions of leadership, the Catholic Church instead restricts the role of the women and ignores their significant contribution to the life of the Catholic community. Our bishops, priests, religious, lay leaders and laity must be made aware that there are strong and valid counter arguments for the ordination of women; and that when women are admitted to the priesthood, a) we need not have communities that are not able to celebrate the Eucharist once a week b) we need not have priests who cannot be effective pastors because they have more than one community under their care c) we will have a more holistic ministry drawn from the experiences of both men and women d) we will have more effective pastoral care e) we will not have women’s issues (e.g. single mothers, sexual discrimination, violence against women, domestic violence, etc.) sidelined f) we will have decisions that take into consideration the effect on both men and women

3. Importance of the Internet

Every member should be knowledgeable on current issues and developments in the Catholic Church. We should be encouraged to take an active interest in such issues and participate in discussions and the exchange of ideas to ensure that our faith will continue to be relevant in our lives. However, the Catholic Church in Malaysia seems to operate along the principle that we only need to know what the Church has to say. It is generally too expensive for most of us from Asia to subscribe to journals and magazines or purchase books and documents. Furthermore, this is severely hampered where local policies and conditions restrict the availability of literature of a religious nature.

With significant developments in telecommunications technology, more and more people have access to the Internet, which is fast becoming an inexpensive means of getting up-to-date information. Many of us have found significant and useful information available on the Internet, and have even exchanged ideas, perspectives, viewpoints and experiences with the larger community. We have come to realize that many around the world hold opposing viewpoints and perspectives from that of the official Church, and these have spurred us to discern and critically reflect on the teachings of the Church and our faith in relation to our situation.

On the issue of the ordination of women, the position taken by the Vatican is very clear. As such, it is left to a website like www.womenpriests.org to give the avenue for expression to those who sincerely believe that women have a substantial role to play in the growth, and indeed the survival, of the Church, especially in Asia. In the light of the above narrative, we the undersigned support the application for funding for the building up and maintenance of www.womenpriests.org.

18 August 2002

The 22 Catholic and 5 Protestant signatories of this letter were members of

Dietze Wijngaards van Hoesel

In spite of being a devout Catholic and daily massgoer my mother would not have passed Rome’s current criteria for canonisation. She was prepared to speak her mind. Some incidents will illustrate the point.

My father was headmaster of a mission school in Surabaia (Java)- we are talking of the 1930’s – and my mother sat on the board of the adjoining girls’ school.

The day I was born, the Religious Sister in hospital refused to put my mother on the list for holy communion. “You have not been churched!” she said. “I’ve just done the most wonderful thing in my life and given birth to another child. Why do I need to be churched?” The Sister did not want to give in. Nor did my mother. She insisted that the parish priest be called. More words followed. Next morning my mother received holy communion as usual.

My parents also prepared people for Mass on Sunday in one of the class rooms. One day the parish priest came to visit them and announced: “I have received a new chalice from Holland!” He produced it from his bag and put it triumphantly on the table. My mother lifted it up, to admire it more closely. “My God! Mrs. Wijngaards, what are you doing!” the parish priest called out. “Doing what?” my mother asked. “This is a sacred vessel. No woman may touch it!” “I sank through the ground”, my mother would tell me later a dozen times. “I felt hurt, humiliated, angry. Why should I be kept from touching a sacred object just because I’m a woman? Am I so dirty or profane?” She only put the chalice down after having scrutinised it carefully.

As a theologian, so many years later, I can give the answer to her “why?”. Women were, indeed, from at least the 5 th century onwards considered second-rate, sinful and ritually unclean, yes unclean on account of menstruation and childbirth. A Church ordinance in France forbidding women to touch sacred objects was deviously published under the name of Pope Soter and handed on as part of papal teachings. The dossier is now known as the False Decretals. From there it entered the Decree of Gratian (1040 AD), a collection of laws that became the source for all later Church legislation. Church lawyers explained the reasons:

“A woman is an animal that menstruates. Through contact with her blood, mustard degenerates, grass dries up and trees lose their fruit before time. Iron gets rusted and the air becomes dark. A woman’s fluids are filthy and unclean. That is why women are kept away from the altar. ”

Medieval theologians Rome invokes as witnesses of a presumed ‘divine tradition’ against ordaining women, considered the prohibition to touch sacred objects a major argument to exclude women from the priesthood. The prohibition stayed in force until the new code of church law of 1983. But Rome has not grasped that removing this and other prejudices has in fact shattered the ‘theological’ grounds on which the exclusion of women was based. Thank God women like my mother dared to speak out!

Dietze Wijngaards van Hoesel

In spite of being a devout Catholic and daily massgoer my mother would not have passed Rome’s current criteria for canonisation. She was prepared to speak her mind. Some incidents will illustrate the point.

My father was headmaster of a mission school in Surabaia (Java)- we are talking of the 1930’s – and my mother sat on the board of the adjoining girls’ school.

The day I was born, the Religious Sister in hospital refused to put my mother on the list for holy communion. “You have not been churched!” she said. “I’ve just done the most wonderful thing in my life and given birth to another child. Why do I need to be churched?” The Sister did not want to give in. Nor did my mother. She insisted that the parish priest be called. More words followed. Next morning my mother received holy communion as usual.

My parents also prepared people for Mass on Sunday in one of the class rooms. One day the parish priest came to visit them and announced: “I have received a new chalice from Holland!” He produced it from his bag and put it triumphantly on the table. My mother lifted it up, to admire it more closely. “My God! Mrs. Wijngaards, what are you doing!” the parish priest called out. “Doing what?” my mother asked. “This is a sacred vessel. No woman may touch it!” “I sank through the ground”, my mother would tell me later a dozen times. “I felt hurt, humiliated, angry. Why should I be kept from touching a sacred object just because I’m a woman? Am I so dirty or profane?” She only put the chalice down after having scrutinised it carefully.

As a theologian, so many years later, I can give the answer to her “why?”. Women were, indeed, from at least the 5 th century onwards considered second-rate, sinful and ritually unclean, yes unclean on account of menstruation and childbirth. A Church ordinance in France forbidding women to touch sacred objects was deviously published under the name of Pope Soter and handed on as part of papal teachings. The dossier is now known as the False Decretals. From there it entered the Decree of Gratian (1040 AD), a collection of laws that became the source for all later Church legislation. Church lawyers explained the reasons:

“A woman is an animal that menstruates. Through contact with her blood, mustard degenerates, grass dries up and trees lose their fruit before time. Iron gets rusted and the air becomes dark. A woman’s fluids are filthy and unclean. That is why women are kept away from the altar. ”

Medieval theologians Rome invokes as witnesses of a presumed ‘divine tradition’ against ordaining women, considered the prohibition to touch sacred objects a major argument to exclude women from the priesthood. The prohibition stayed in force until the new code of church law of 1983. But Rome has not grasped that removing this and other prejudices has in fact shattered the ‘theological’ grounds on which the exclusion of women was based. Thank God women like my mother dared to speak out!

Bank transfers between countries within the European Community (of which Great Britain is also a member), do not cost more than the charge for a local transfer within the country. It has been so since 1 July 2003.

The conditions are: —— a. the transaction must be in Euros —— b. the maximum is Euro 12,500 —— c. you must mention our IBAN (International Bank Account Number) and BIC (Bank Identifyer Code) as given above. —— d. the transfer must be done at shared costs (shared between sender and receiver).

From our Mailbag

“From when I was seven years old I have had the ardent desire to be a priest and this dream has been with me ever since. Now I’m married, have a doctorate and am fulfilling an important patoral role in my diocese here. It is the election of the new Pope that has convinced me that I too should now speak out strongly against the old prejudices. Otherwise the Church will never change. Thanks for your website!” Elisabeth, Croatia

Bank transfers between countries within the European Community (of which Great Britain is also a member), do not cost more than the charge for a local transfer within the country. It has been so since 1 July 2003.

The conditions are: —— a. the transaction must be in Euros —— b. the maximum is Euro 12,500 —— c. you must mention our IBAN (International Bank Account Number) and BIC (Bank Identifyer Code) as given above. —— d. the transfer must be done at shared costs (shared between sender and receiver).

From our Mailbag

“From when I was seven years old I have had the ardent desire to be a priest and this dream has been with me ever since. Now I’m married, have a doctorate and am fulfilling an important patoral role in my diocese here. It is the election of the new Pope that has convinced me that I too should now speak out strongly against the old prejudices. Otherwise the Church will never change. Thanks for your website!” Elisabeth, Croatia

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About Us

Religion informs lives. We reform religion. Help us transform the lives of millions of people who struggle with religious beliefs against gender equality, family planning, and LGBT rights.As an independent non-profit think tank, our interdisciplinary research challenges those beliefs, and highlights traditional and contemporary insights that have the potential to help the Christian tradition grow towards greater inclusivity, justice and compassion.

We are dedicated to making the Sustainable Development Goals a reality by addressing Roman Catholic concerns about Gender Equality, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), and LGBT rights. In our approach we integrate advocacy, research and the support of our partner organisations

Our flagship, www.womenpriests.org, is viewed by more than 500,000 unique visitors a year. However, only less than 200 donate regularly, and the average donation we receive is less than £10 a month. If you have found the material useful, please take a moment to keep it online and ad-free. Thank you!